A United Nations program to feed millions of starving Africans has received a cash donation of $1 million from the Church and will use the funds to purchase 2,746 tons of maize.

Village residents line up to receive food.

Shipment of food from United States arrives in Lilongwe, Malawi, after being shipped through Dar es Salam, Tanzania, in more than 100 trucks.

Child in Malawi awaits food distribution. People in nation have resorted to eating chaff, wild animals.

Drought conditions in southern Africa have caused crop failure leaving up to 13 million people at risk for at least nine months until the harvest season next March.

"This significant contribution comes at such an important time, when millions of people are facing more and more hunger each day, and some are barely surviving," said James Morris, executive director of the World Food Program.

Mr. Morris noted that the Church is known for its willingness to respond to humanitarian crises and an immediate cash contribution to the program is the most effective way to help. Cash can be used to purchase the grain in southern Africa and distribute it immediately to the areas of need.

Mr. Morris has made an appeal for $507 million to feed at least 10.2 million people until March 2003. With the donation from the Church, one-quarter of the needed dollar amount has been received from charitable and other non-government organizations. Because of the global trend of declining food aid resources, the United Nations Consolidated Appeals for the Humanitarian Crisis in southern Africa appointed Mr. Morris as a special envoy to help relieve the suffering of the hungry people.

"Countless numbers of families are surviving off of wild foods and the chaff of maize grain, which is normally used to feed livestock," he said. "Now, not later, is the time to respond — before we see entire communities start to slip downwards to a point of tragic and inescapable death."

"Wherever there are people who suffer, wherever there are people who hunger, we are anxious to reach out to them and help them where and when we can," said Harold C. Brown, managing director of the Welfare Department.

The Church's donation to the United Nations' World Food Program will be used to purchase food grains in South Africa, which the World Food Program will ship to several other countries where famine and other crises threaten the lives of millions.

Brother Brown applauded the efforts of World Food Program in recognizing the seriousness of the situation of the people in this area.

"The conditions are difficult even in good times. The people have a very difficult time sustaining themselves and then when the drought is thrown on top of that, it makes it extremely difficult," he said.

Garry R. Flake, director of Church Humanitarian Service, said the aid is not the first sent by the Church to Africa this year. Salt Lake area humanitarian aid volunteers rallied to the Church's Welfare Square May 29-30 to assemble 6,750 emergency food boxes destined for families in the drought-affected areas. The boxes were loaded on shipping containers that left for Zimbabwe May 31 as part of the Church's initial response to the famine.

In addition to the food boxes, the Church shipped four large containers of clothing. Five hundred tons of maize and beans were purchased in Africa to help famine victims.

Brother Flake said the Church, through Humanitarian Service Missionaries and the Africa Southeast Area presidency, will continue to monitor the situation in Africa. "There will likely be a need for further assistance," he said.